Staying safe online

Social Media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook, are a great way to connect with friends and family, share your thoughts and ideas and connect with like-minded people. The Internet and Social Media are also used by Extremists and Terrorist to promote their ideology and recruit or radicalise people. Take a look through our hints and tips to make sure you & your family stay safe online.

What Can I Do?

Know who
you're talking to

Don’t give out
personal information

Not everything online
is true

Protect children
and the vulnerable

Protect your
online reputation

Know where
to find help

Don't give
in to pressure

Check that content
is appropriate

Only open messages
from sources you trust

Speak to someone
if you feel uncomfortable

Keep it
safe

Conduct

Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. Only do so with your parents’ or carers’ permission and even then only when they can be present. Remember online friends are still strangers even if you have been talking to them for a long time.

Someone online might lie about who they are and information on the internet may not be true. Always check information by looking at other websites, in books, or with someone who knows. If you like chatting online it’s best to only chat to your real world friends and family.

Children and vulnerable adults can be contacted by bullies and people who want to groom/radicalise or seek to abuse them.

Use the tools provided by online services to manage your digital footprints and ‘think before you post.’ Content posted online can last forever and could be shared publicly by anyone.

Understand how to report to service providers and use blocking and deleting tools. If something happens that upsets you online, it’s never too late to tell someone.

Don’t be pressured into doing something you know is wrong. If it’s something you wouldn’t tell your friends and family about, it’s probably not something you should be doing!

Age-inappropriate or unreliable content can be available to children.

Accepting emails, messages, or opening ﬁles, images or texts from people you don’t know or trust can lead to problems – they may contain viruses or unpleasant messages!

Tell a parent, carer or a trusted adult if someone, or something, makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, or if you or someone you know is potentially being radicalised online.

Use safety tools on social networks and other online services, eg Facebook privacy settings.

Children may be at risk because of their own behaviour, for example, by sharing too much information.

Cyber Aware is a cross-government awareness and behaviour change campaign delivered by the Home Office in conjunction with Department of Culture, Media & Sport alongside the National Cyber Security Centre, and funded by the National Cyber Security Programme in the Cabinet Office.

If you have a question about cyber security, please follow these links to our Twitter and Facebook feeds.

The NCSC was set up to help protect our critical services from cyber-attacks, managing major incidents and improve the underlying security of the UK Internet through technological improvement and advice to citizens and organisations. Our vision is to help make the UK the safest place to live and do business online. Find out more about the NCSC here https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/

Get Safe Online

Get Safe Online is the UK’s premier source of information and advice for the public and small businesses on keeping safe and secure online. A joint initiative between the Government, National Crime Agency and other law enforcement agencies, and private sector organisations from the worlds of technology, communication, retail and finance, Get Safe Online offers free, impartial, easy-to-follow advice via its website, media and outreach activities and network of partners.

UK – Safer Internet Centre

Online centre where you can find e-safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe on the internet. The UK Safer Internet Centre also provides a Helpline for professionals working with children and young people in the UK with any online safety issues they may face themselves or with children in their care. A signposting, advice, and mediation service, the POSH Helpline provides support with all aspects of digital and online issues for professionals.

Childnet

Childnet is a UK-based charity set up to empower children, families and schools in the digital age. With the aim of making the internet a great and safe place for children, Childnet delivers internet safety workshops in schools across the UK to children aged 3-18, their parents, carers and teachers and also produces free educational resources for these audiences.